Loves Me Not
by Ain't Been Droppin' No Eves
Summary: Can a fake relationship, started to make someone jealous, turn into something more? Couples: HG/FW, RW/HA, HP/LL, GW/CC, GW/NL. Rated T for future chapters.
1. I'm With You

First off, this fic starts off during OOTP and might go on past that. I suppose you could call it AU because the events in this story change what happens in the future of the Fandom, so yeah. But anyways, let me know if it's any good or not. I'm really looking forward to this story and where it's gonna go from here. Some couples that you will/might see in this story are as followed: Fred/Hermione, Ron/Hannah, Harry/Luna, Ginny/Neville, Cho/George. Of course there will be other "couples" that aren't really couples but have romantic strain between them, but these are the main ones. And remember, this is my first fic! And yes, I lied. I said Furuba fics would be coming, but I'm not doing a Furuba fic right now so get over it! Please read and review. And of course constructive criticizing is always welcome.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, the couples listed above would be real, I would live in England with my own mansion cause I'd be rich, and Fred would most certainly not be dead.

_Won't you take me by the hand, take me somewhere new? I don't know who you are, but I...I'm with you.-_I'm With You by Avril Lavigne

* * *

The Gryffindor common room was dark and deserted; not a soul remained except for one lone girl. She was sobbing uncontrollably, her eyes puffy and red, her breath coming in small gasps. This was not a normal occurrence for this particular girl, but it'd been happening a lot of late. She couldn't stop herself. Everything was wrong.

* * *

"Hermione, what are you doing up so late?" a quiet voice came from behind her, startling her. "Yeah, and why do you sound like you're crying?" A similar voice came from the same direction. Sighing, Hermione Granger turned around to see the faces of the men whom the voices belonged to. Fred and George Weasley, the school pranksters, stood before her, looks of concern mingled with their trademarked Weasley twins smirk. Hermione brushed away her tears quickly, so as not to show weakness to such Neanderthals. "I'm not crying. Now if you two don't get to your dormitory you'll be in trouble. I AM a prefect, you know," she attempted to wave them off with her hand, but the stubborn Weasleys wouldn't budge.

"C'mon Granger, we know you better than that," Fred muttered, plopping down on one side of her on the couch. "Tell us what's upsetting you. We can make you feel better," finished George, taking the seat on the other side of Hermione. There was no use in arguing with the twins, Hermione knew this, so she sighed and began to sob out her sap story.

* * *

"_Hermione, I really need your help," panted Ron as he ran up to his bushy haired friend. It was a week before school would start back up, and Hermione was spending this time with the Weasleys at their home, called the Burrow. "If you want me to finish your summer Potions essay for you, I already told you I wouldn't," she answered, slightly annoyed that Ron had driven her away from her book. "It's not about the essay, Mione, I finished it last night, like you told me. This is something more personal. And what book are you reading anyways?" He swiped the book from her grasp and stared at the cover. "Robin Hood? What kind of a book is this? Why is this guy in green tights?" Hermione grunted as she snatched the book away from him. "Honestly Ronald, this is a muggle book, and its very interesting. If you would just give these types of books a chance, I'm sure you would…." "Not now Mione," Ron huffed, grabbing her wrist and beginning to drag her away from her comfortable chair, "I'd rather not hear a lecture about literature right now." _

_He took her to his favorite place at the Burrow, a little nook beneath some trees that he, Fred, George, and Ginny used to hide in when they were young. "Okay Mione, look," he started, flushing a bit as he stared down at his feet, "There's this girl that I really like, and I have liked for a while now, but I don't know how to tell her." Hermione froze. _Could it be?_ she thought. _No, of course not. Ron doesn't…but maybe….._ "She's been my friend for quite some time, but I don't want to ruin the friendship. What do I do?" He looked up suddenly, looked right into her chocolate brown eyes with his fierce blue ones and something went off inside her. _He is! It's happening! C'mon Hermione, make your move now! _"How do I tell Hannah that I love her, Mione?" _

_It all came crumbling down. Hannah. Hannah Abbott. Of course. Why didn't she see it before? He did talk to her frequently during their school year, and he had written quite a few letters to her over the summer. Why would she be stupid enough to think that he could be talking about her? "Oh, of course. Hannah." she muttered, having trouble breathing. "Yeah, who did you think I was talking about Hermione?" she merely shrugged. She had nothing to say to Ronald Weasley at this point. "Hermione?" "I'm going inside Ronald," she managed through quaking breaths. As she began to walk away, she heard Ron shouting, "Wait Hermione! You haven't given me any advice! What am I supposed to do? C'mon, don't leave!" But she did leave. She left the Burrow, went to Diagon Alley. She needed time alone. She would go back, of course, for she didn't want the Weasleys to worry over her, but for now she needed to be left alone. _

_

* * *

_

By the time she was finished, Hermione was sputtering out her words, unable to contain the tears that flowed from her downcast eyes. George put an arm around her and patted her awkwardly, while Fred stood up, an angry sort of look in his eyes. "Merlin, Mione why didn't you tell us this sooner?" Hermione shook her head, unable to talk anymore. She was crying onto George's shoulder now, and his sympathetic pats on the back were doing her no good. A new blaze in his eyes and a sense of mischief in his voice, Fred declared, "Well Granger, you know what the solution is, right?" Hermione looked up, her eyes still wet, and shrugged. "You've got to make Ronniekins jealous." Upon hearing this, George jumped up, careful not to startle Hermione, and began to smirk. "I have the perfect plan," he stated, giving off his signature grin, "You're gonna pretend to date Fred."

Hermione started coughing like mad, practically chocking on air. The twins did their best to make her stop, and by the time she calmed down, she hissed, "Date Fred?" "C'mon Mione, I know you want me," chuckled Fred. Rolling his eyes at his twin's poor romantic skills, George added, "It's only a pretend date Granger. You guys don't even have to kiss."

"Yeah Mione, we just snuggle a lot in front of him and make googly eyes at each other for a while,"

"Ickle Ronnie sees this and gets jealous,"

"We pretend break up,"

"Ron comforts you,"

"You two realize that you're madly in love with each other and, badda boom badda bing; instant boyfriend for Hermione. So what do you say? Are you in?"

Hermione thought about this for a moment. The plan did seem foolproof. She remembered how worked up Ron had gotten when she had dated Viktor Krum last year, so maybe pretending to date Fred this year would make him see that she had other options as well as he did. Yes, it was a great plot. There was only one problem. Fred. She had been acting as an older sister type for him for as long as she can remember. She'd always scolded him when he pranked people or got low scores on tests, and he's always teased her when she was feeling down. The two of them were about as compatible as fire and water. But maybe this would work.

"Alright, I'm in. But on one condition, Fredrik Weasley," Hermione declared, giving Fred a disapproving glare. "What's your condition?" Fred asked, his interest peaking. "You are NOT to treat me as your girlfriend when Ron is not present. Do you understand?" "Of course, _DARLING._ Whatever you say_." _Hermione pursed her lips, growing more agitated by the moment. Grunting, she suddenly realized who she was dealing with and what time it was_._ "Now off to bed, both of you. It's late and you're supposed to be asleep. You're lucky I haven't turned you in yet." With that, she stalked off, ascending the flight of stairs leading to the Gryffindor girl dormitories. "Well this should be interesting, mate. Three galleons says she'll fall for me by the end of the week," Fred chuckled, staring after the bookworm. "You've got a bet."

* * *

_Next Chapter: As Hermione and Fred start their "relationship", Ron is struggling with his feelings for Hannah and being avoided by Hermione. Also, Ginny and Harry go to Hogsmeade together on a "not date". Little do they know, they're being followed by a certain blonde.  
_


	2. A Party Song

Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING HERE!

* * *

_I'll make you come just to watch you leave. You walk around with my heart on your sleeve. Don't sweat it. It's over now. Our time ran out.-_A Party Song by All Time Low

* * *

"Heeer-Miii-Ooooneeeee!" The annoyingly sing-song voice of Fred Weasley came bombarding down the stairs, soon followed by all the rest of him. Gliding over to the madly blushing girl, he placed his arm around her shoulders and leaned in close to her. She could feel his warm breath on her neck. _Thank Merlin there's no one else in the common room right now, _she thought, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Today marks the start of our relationship, my dearest," he whispered huskily into her ear. She squeaked and jumped away from him immediately. "Stop it Fred. I…I….I thought I to…told you to…..to save that for when Ronald is around," she stammered, trying to catch her breath, "Which he is not."

Chucking, Fred grabbed his "girlfriend's" hand and pulled her close to him. "Sorry love, I just couldn't contain myself." This action earned him a book to the head, which, in turn, lead to a moaning Fred and a satisfactory humph from Hermione. Bounding down the stairs soon after the incident was George, wearing a large grin on his face. "I see Fred's tried to seduce you. Charming. Shall we head to breakfast?" Grunting and letting out a few choice words, Fred followed his brother and Hermione out of the portrait hole and into the endless halls of Hogwarts.

* * *

Harry, who had just sat down across from his best friend Ron at the Gryffindor table, heaved a sigh. The night before had been a long one, in which he'd failed his Potions test, got a detention from Professor Umbridge, which he'd have to serve later that night, been forced to listen to a heated argument between Ron and Hermione, and received a Howler from Lucius Malfoy, containing some foul language. Yes, the previous had been a bad day, but he perked up a bit, remembering that it was the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year.

"Hello Ron. Harry. Fine day, isn't it?" came the cheerful voice of Ginny Weasley as she plopped down beside Harry at the table. "Yeah, it's gonna be a great day to go to Hogsmeade," Ron replied through a mouthful of eggs. Harry merely nodded in response. Ginny, noticing that her friend looked sort of down, touched his shoulder and said, "What's eating you?" "Just life, Ginny. You don't need to worry," he answered her, looking up and attempting to appear less melancholy. Laughing, the ginger girl stood and said, "I'm skipping breakfast today. I'm going to spruce up for Hogsmeade. Would you like to accompany me today Harry? Maybe going with someone aside from my git of a brother will take your mind off of whatever's troubling you." Ron looked offended upon hearing that last statement, and managed to glare at his sister while stuffing bacon into his mouth.

Harry chuckled a bit. It would be nice to go with someone other than Ron and Hermione, because he knew the two of them would be fighting with each other practically the whole time. But then he thought of who he'd been invited by. If he accepted, he'd be alone with Ginny Weasley, the sister of his best friend. She was like a sister to him as well. And of course he knew about the little crush she'd had on him since her first year, which made it all the more awkward. Thinking about all this made Harry a bit reluctant, but he did want to go, so he asked, "You mean, like a date?" Ginny's eyebrows furrowed and her smile drooped a bit. _Of course he doesn't want to go on a date with you, you idiot! _She thought grouchily to herself. _C'mon, act natural. _"Of course not, you silly boy. We'd be going as friends. Ron and Hermione used to do it all the time till they started fighting so much," she replied, bringing a bright smile back to her face. _Good save, Ginny. Good save. _

Sighing with relief, Harry nodded his head enthusiastically. "That'd be great Gin." the redhead's smile widened. "Weren't you gonna leave to go get ready or something?" Asked an impatient Ron. He'd heard enough of this. First Hermione was avoiding him and now his best friend and kid sister were going somewhere without him. Did people find it amusing to leave him out of everything?

Ginny, hearing her brother's words, suddenly remembered where she was going. "Of course! Thanks Ron! See you later Harry!" And with that, she rushed off. "Mental, that one," Ron murmured through another mouthful of eggs. Harry sniggered at the pair of them. They were siblings, so it was only natural that they fought, but he still found it funny.

* * *

_Hmmm…they're going to Hogsmeade together. Interesting….._ "Do you think I should follow them?" the blonde girl at the Ravenclaw table turned toward another girl and asked. "Umm….." the chunky brunette next to her didn't know how to respond. "Oh, I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to my friend. He's a heliopath, you know," The blonde girl, who's name was Luna, told her fellow Ravenclaw. "Sure…." the brunette muttered. _That Lovegood girl is just a tad loony…_

_

* * *

_

"Hello, Harry," the all too familiar voices of the Weasley twins cascaded through the dining hall. They sat down on either side of Ron, poking fun at his unruly hair and the bags under his eyes. He clearly hadn't slept well in a while. Coming in right behind the twins was Hermione, looking equally as tired as Ron. She sat down next to Fred, placing her head on his shoulder and yawning. This earned quite a few stares from the other Gryffindors at the table, namely Harry and Ron. "Tired…." Hermione mumbled, yawning again. Instinctively, Fred put his arm around her. "I know, love. You need to stop staying up so late studying though. You haven't gotten any sleep in a while because you study too much," he responded in a soothing voice, almost as if the two of them…._No, it can't be…._Harry thought to himself. _It's positively….._ "Ridiculous…." Hermione finished his thought for him, snuggling deeper into Fred's embrace and closing her eyes, causing Fred to grin broadly.

The entirety of the table, and all those surrounding, stopped whatever they were doing or saying to gaze in wonderment at this spectacle. Fred and Hermione? Not likely. "What?" Fred asked innocently, a look of pure humor and enjoyment in his eyes, "Never seen a girl lean her head on her boyfriend's shoulder?"

All of Gryffindor gasped, and somehow Harry ended up with milk and half-chewed food all over him. "Sorry mate," Ron muttered, handing Harry a napkin, then turning accusingly toward his brother. "You didn't just use the word 'boyfriend' in that sentence," he stated, as if it were a fact that Fred couldn't use the word when referring to himself and Hermione. To him, it was utter rubbish. "Oh, but he did, dear brother," George spoke up for the first time that day, slinging his arm around his brother's shoulder, "Him and Hermione are _TOGETHER_." Ron shook his head vigorously, searching for the right words to broadcast his feelings toward this whole ordeal. "Can't be," and "Utter rubbish," were among the audible words that Harry caught. Ron stammered for a big longer, until finally, he huffed and stood, knocking George's arm off of him, and stormed out of the Great Hall.

"Well that went well," Fred declared, doing his best to hold in his laughs. Hermione seemed to smile a bit, still leaning up against her boyfriend. Harry was still stunned. He couldn't believe his ears. Hermione and Fred, two people who had nothing in common, that were two years apart in age, and that always seemed to find something to criticize each other about, were a couple. How could this have happened? As if to answer his question, Fred removed his arm from around Hermione and stated, "Mission accomplished, Mione. Ronniekins is mad. So wanna go down to Hogsmeade later?" Hermione nodded, removing her head from his shoulder and picking up a fork. Now that he really looked at her, Harry could tell that Hermione had a rough night. There were bags under her red and puffy eyes and her hair was matted and stringy. She was ghostly pale and looked as if she really hadn't slept in a while. She looked disastrous. "Mind filling me in on what's going on?" Harry asked, still staring at Hermione. "Yeah, sure. George, you do it, I'm eating," Fred spoke through mouthfuls of food. Apparently none of the Weasley children had good manners, especially when food was involved. "But I'm eating too," George complained, grabbing three pieces of toast. Hermione sighed. "I'll tell him."

Once Hermione had managed her entire story, Harry gave her a skeptical look. "What?" she asked, feeling a bit annoyed. "Why Fred?" Hermione shrugged. "Ask the two idiots drowning themselves in food like it's their last day on Earth." Harry turned to the twins, a slight glint in his eye. "Well?" He waited for one of them to swallow. George got to it first and smirked, "It was MY idea. I thought it would be funny the way people reacted." Harry had to agree with that. There were still many Gryffindors, ranging from first to seventh year, staring in bewilderment at the bushy haired bookworm and the unbeatable beaters. "I guess you're right," Harry stared down at his food, then suddenly remembered Ginny. He had promised to go to Hogsmeade with her. "I have to go guys. See you later." With that, he got up and left.

"This day's going to be brilliant," Fred beamed at his brother and fake girlfriend.

"Yuppers, people are gonna be so confused."

"It'll be like one giant prank!"

"Oh, honestly. What am I going to do with you two?" Hermione murmured, staring blankly at her food. This was going to be a long year (or however long it would take for Ron to come around).

* * *

"Harry, over here!" Ginny called out when she saw her friend enter the common room. Harry turned towards her and smiled. She looked stunning. She had her hair piled into a bun atop her head and had pinned a daisy into it. She was wearing a knee length yellow dress and black flats. She certainly didn't look like the small, frightened little first year he had once known. "Ready?" He asked her, offering his hand. She nodded and placed her small hand in his and grinning the trademarked Weasley grin. "Let's head off then."

* * *

"C'mon Hermione, you said you'd go to Hogsmeade with us," Fred complained as Hermione plopped down on a couch in the common room. "I said nothing of the sort," she retorted, grabbing her book and opening it. She hoped to drown out the sound of the twins griping with a good story. "Yes you did," George argued. "You said you would," Fred piped up. Hermione sighed. It seemed as though the siblings wouldn't leave her alone until and unless she gave them what she wanted. "Fine," She gave in, "Just let me go get ready." She walked off without another word, leaving her book behind. The twins smirked, knowing they had won. George stalked off toward the boys staircase, planning to get ready himself, but Fred stayed behind and looked down at the book Hermione had left. It was Robin Hood.

* * *

Ron was pacing the halls, trying to think of something to say to his brother and Hermione. "You two just aren't right for each other," he recited, playing the words out in his head, "And it would be best for both of you if you stopped seeing each other….." "Ron?" He heard a voice from behind him. Startled, he turned and recoiled, but relaxed once he saw who it was. The voice belonged to Hannah Abbott, the girl he'd been crushing on for the past year. "H…hi, Hannah. What are you doing?" The girl smiled at him and replied, "I'm waiting for Neville, actually. He said he wanted to show me something." "Oh," Ron sighed. Did Neville have a thing for Hannah as well? He perked up though, thinking, _Even if he does, he's Neville. No girl would pick him over me. No offense to him, of course. That's just how it is. _"Would the two of you care to join me at Hogsmeade?" He asked as politely as he could. The Hufflepuff giggled and responded, "Well, I'll ask Neville, but seeing as he's your friend I'm sure he would have no objections to that." Ron smiled. He was in her comfort zone already.

* * *

"Harry, do you get the feeling that we're being followed?" The redhead asked her raven haired companion as the walked down the streets of Hogsmeade. They had just been inside Gladrags Wizardwear, where Ginny had tried on dozens of dress robes, none of which she fancied enough to buy. Harry had been gentlemanly enough to let her browse as long as she wanted to. The ginger seemed very content with the fact that he was holding her hand. _A little too content, _thought the blonde girl that was following them through the streets. _She'd better not fancy Harry or I'll have to send the Nargles to steel her shoes. _"Actually I do kind of get the feeling that we're being watched or something," Harry replied, clutching Ginny's hand tighter. If someone was going to attack them, he wanted to keep her safe.

Luna was outraged by this, and blurted out something about some creature no one has heard of. Hearing her voice, Harry turned, grabbing for his wand. His anxious feelings left him when he saw his Ravenclaw friend. "Luna, thank Merlin. I thought you were someone else." Ginny, who was her good friend, stepped toward her, "Would you care to join us? We were just on our way to Honeydukes." Letting her anger go, Luna made herself appear calm and stated, "I was just headed there myself. I would love to join you." Ginny didn't let go of Harry's hand as they walked toward the candy shop. Feeling jealousy rouse within her, Luna grabbed for Harry's other hand. Harry didn't object. Her hand felt sort of nice in his. The trio walked on. _I still feel on edge though, _Ginny thought as she hummed a tune, _I can't shake the feeling that someone is here that shouldn't be. _

_

* * *

_

"Neville! Hello!" Hannah called out when she saw him. Neville flinched for a moment, as if afraid of something. Although he had been sorted into Gryffindor, Neville was a sort of cowardly boy, and a very forgetful one at that. "You were going to show me something, Neville?" He groaned. He had completely forgotten to bring what he had promised. "I'm sorry Hannah," he sighed, looking toward the ground, "I got sidetracked and forgot to bring it." Hannah giggled a bit and put her hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry Neville. You can show me another time. And besides, Ron has just invited us to go to Hogsmeade with him. Won't that be fun?" Neville looked up. The ginger boy, who was much taller than him, was standing there with a sort of impatience to him. He was scared of Ron, but they were friends, so he thought little of it. "Yeah, Can we go to Honeydukes first?" The trio had just begun to start on the journey to Hogsmeade when they heard a voice. "Can I come along?"

* * *

"Cheer up Hermione, did you not see Ickle Ronniekin's face when you were leaning on me? He looked so mad!" Fred exclaimed as the skipped through the streets of Hogsmeade. Hermione's eyes here downcast, and she really didn't want to be there, especially not with HIM. Fred had been annoying her to the point of screaming at him. He wouldn't leave her alone or stop calling her "my dearest" or "love". Her blood boiled when she thought about it. Sometimes the twins were just too flirtatious for their own good. "Look Mione, there's Honeydukes! Shall we go in?" George grasped her hand and pulled her toward the sweets shop. Hermione smiled. She did like sweets. "Let go of her hand, moron. She's my pretend girlfriend, remember?" Fred grabbed hold of her other hand and scowled at his brother. Grinning, George backed off. "Of course, my dear brother. I wouldn't want to get in-between such a lovely fake couple." Fred reached around Hermione to shove his brother playfully. Hermione laughed despite herself. She had two cards on her hands, and she knew that they would keep her very amused.

* * *

The three of them turned upon hearing the voice. It belonged to the lovely Cho Chang, the girl Harry had been crushing on for quite some time. She was also the girl who'd lost her boyfriend to Lord Voldemort the year before. She'd been very sad of late, and cried most every night. Today, however, she seemed more calm, almost upbeat, as if she'd changed over night. Neville and Hannah acted upon instinct, the two of them on either side of her, patting her sympathetically. "Of course you can come, Cho," Hannah piped up, grabbing her hand and starting to pull her. "You could probably use the cheering up, am I right?" Cho nodded. It felt good to be surrounded by friends. Maybe life wasn't so hopeless for her after all….

* * *

_Next chapter: With all three groups heading to the same location, they would be a very easy target, if one wanted to target them that is….Is something or somebody waiting at Honeydukes? _


	3. Riot

A/N:

Sorry for not updating in a while. I've been kinda busy. And sorry that this chapter is short and kinda sucks, this, along with a few of the upcoming chapters, are just fillers until I get to the next dramatic scene in the story.

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER!

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If you feel so empty, so used up, so let down. If you feel so angry, so ripped off, so stepped on. You're not the only one refusing to back down. You're not the only one. So get up.-Riot by Three Days Grace

* * *

"There they are! See them? The Golden Trio!(A/N-Did people call them that at this point in the fandom or was it after old Voldy was destroyed?) I told you they'd be here!"

"Yes, yes, but look. All three of them have backup! We can't just attack them when they have others with them."

"Sure we can. There are plenty of us here. Besides, don't you know that Slytherin always wins in the end?"

* * *

"Hey Mione! Lookit, it's Ron! Time to put on our lovey-dovey faces," Fred exclaimed, clutching his fake girlfriend's small hand in his as the pair of them and his twin brother walked through the doors of Honeydukes. Hermione looked about, searching for the boy in question. Her blood boiled and a scowl took form on her face when she saw the little Hufflepuff girl standing next to him. She softened, however, when she saw Neville, a good friend of hers, and Harry's crush, Cho Chang. "Let's do this," She murmured, making Fred grin like an idiot.

"Hello, o brother of mine!" George called, slinging an arm over his little brother and hugging him from the side. His brother and Hermione followed behind him, slower though, for they were whispering sweet nothings to each other and giggling. Cho and Hannah sighed at this, holding their hands to their hearts. They were suckers for romance. Neville turned a bit red and turned away. Ron, however, seemed less than amused by this. "WOULD YOU TWO STOP PARADING AROUND AND BEING ALL GUSHY? ITS GETTING ON PEOPLE'S NERVES!" His shouts could be heard from all over the store, and attracted the attention of three people looking at a display of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. They stepped closer to the display, for one of them was his younger sister, Ginny.

"It seems to me, dear brother," Fred started, letting go of Hermione's hand to tower over his kid brother, smirking a bit. "That you are the only one getting upset by this," George finished, shaking Ron for extra effect. Ron screamed out, and turned hastily, just noticing the trio watching with amusement his antics. "Don't you have a problem with this, Harry?" He shouted at his best friend as he approached, clutching his bag of candy. "Not really," He answered with an expression of amusement. "What about you?" The flaming ginger boy asked his sister. "Nope. I think it's cute." She winked in Hermione's direction, making her blush furiously. Luna merely tilted her head sideways. "The Nargles don't mind either," she muttered. This made everyone, even Ron, chuckle. Soon enough, the lot were bursting out laughing and clutching their chests. It was like the whole ordeal had never happened in the first place.

"I wouldn't be so happy, Potter," a cold, drawling voice startled the group. They turned their heads to see a group of seventh year Slytherins who were drawing nearer, bawling their fists and grinning. "In fact," The leader, who was burly boy who's name was Arnold or something like that, said , taking out his wand, "I'd be running for my life." The other Slytherins drew their wands as well, beginning to mutter various curses and incarnations. Panicking, Hermione, Harry, and Ron reached for their wands as well, motioning for the others to join them. "Stupefy!" Hermione shouted, sending hexes at some of the Slytherins. It was the only curse she could think up at the moment, but it seemed to be working. Some of their attackers were backing off. Fred and George, the oldest, were shouted hexes left and right, ones she hadn't learned yet. She was panicking. "Expelliarmus!" She called out, seeing Harry do the same. They were winning. The Slytherins were backing off. She was ecstatic. But some were still charging. This wasn't over yet. She shouted a few more spells, before she heard the unmistakable voice of Professor Snape.

"What on Earth is going on here?" The Potions Professor snapped, an instant hatred of the world seeping through his voice. "Harry and his friends just attacked us, Professor!" A blond Slytherin that Harry didn't know spoke up, his voice shaking. "We were defending ourselves from them." "You can't possibly believe that, can you?" Exclaimed a very terrified Hermione. She knew perfectly well what the answer to that question would be. "Quiet Granger. Five points from Gryffindor for being annoying. As for you Potter," he scowled as if just saying the name had given him a case of the measles, "I'll be taking ten points from you and each of your friends for attacking innocent seventh years, and you'll all serve a detention with Professor Umbridge." This name earned a scowl from everyone in the room. Umbridge was awful. Her detentions meant sitting in her classroom and writing a sentence over and over again. But the quills she had them use carved whatever was written with them into the user's hand. It was a very painful experience for everyone, and possibly the worst punishment you could endure. Harry was angry at not only the Slytherins for lying, but at Snape for forcing this upon his friends. But of course, he couldn't show his anger, for fear of getting them into worse trouble.

"Yes Professor," He mumbled, putting away his wand. His friends were doing the same. They were all muttering "Yes Professor"s as well, trying not to groan or pout. He turned to his offenders, who were all giving him smirks of triumph. "Out, Potter and friends. No more Hogsmeade for today. That goes for you, too Arnold and company. OUT!" Upon hearing Snape screaming at them, the two groups bolted from Honeydukes and didn't look back.

* * *

"Well, that was thrilling," George panted, leaning on his twin for balance once they had reached the safety of the Gryffindor common room. "Sure was, Forge," Fred agreed, patting his brother on the back, also trying to catch his breath. "I was terrified," Ginny admitted. Only being in her forth year, Ginny hadn't learned many defensive spells, especially because of Umbridge. "It's official," Hermione muttered, tapping her wand against her thigh in thought, "Harry, remember what we talked about the other night? We need to train ourselves to defend ourselves. Will you do it?" Harry nodded numbly, not sure how he could argue this matter after what had happened earlier.

"Hey, I've got an idea! Why don't we all play some Wizards' Chess? It'll take a load of our shoulders in light of recent evens," George suggested cheerfully. Everyone nodded, some less enthusiastic than others. "Good," He exclaimed, turning toward his friends, sizing them up, then adding, "I'll play Harry, Ginny will play Neville, and Ron and Fred will play. Got it?" Everyone nodded again, sitting down and preparing to play chess with their assigned partners. "Be my cheerleader, Mione?" Fred asked, smiling down at his girlfriend. "Always," The girl giggled placing her hand on his arm. "I'm afraid I'll only be cheering you on in spirit this time, however," She added, getting a questioning look from Fred and Ron both. "And why's that, dearest?" Fred asked. "I'm going to do some research in the library," she answered simply, removing her hand from it's purchase on his shoulder. "See you all at dinner." With that, Hermione exited through the portrait hole, leaving two very confused Weasleys.

* * *

"I'm afraid I'm not too good at chess, Ginny," Neville mumbled, setting up his pieces. "Don't worry Neville, I'll go easy on you. The only reason I even know how to play is because I grew up with six brothers. They love this game and when Bill moved out, they needed to teach me to play so there would be an even number of people." Neville nodded simply, contemplating on where to place his queen. "Oh," Ginny said, noticing this, "That piece goes here," She placed the game piece on the board. "Thanks," Her friend muttered, blushing. This would be a long game for him.

* * *

"So Harry, what interest to you have in my sister, hmm?" George asked, moving his pawn forward two spaces. Harry stared at the board, thinking of his next move. "I don't like her romantically, if that's what you mean," He answered while moving a pawn as well. This cleared space so he could move his bishop forward on his next turn. "Okay mate." A white knight was moved forward, followed by the black bishop. "You and Fred be good to Hermione, okay?" Harry demanded, watching George make his next move and responding to it appropriately. "I know its only a fake relationship, but I don't want either of you hurting her. And if you do, I'll hex you both to Timbuktu." George chuckled, moving another pawn forward. "Don't worry mate. Wouldn't dream of it."

* * *

"I want you to break up with Hermione," Ron stated, destroying one of Fred's pawns. He was glaring at the chess board, but the glares were meant for his brother. "No can do, Ronniekins. This one's fun…." Fred responded, moving his queen forward a space. This statement really riled Ron up. "You're just using her, aren't you! Because Angie dumped you, you just want some sort of rebound girl?" He slammed his fist on the game board, sending pieces flying everywhere. "It's not like that…" Fred muttered, upset that Ron had brought Angelina, his ex-girlfriend, into this. "Sure it's not. I'm not that stupid or blind." With that, the younger Weasley stormed off, leaving a disheveled Fred and an unruly game board behind him.

* * *

"Okay," mumbled Hermione, setting down her pile of books on a table in the library, "Now to begin. Let's see, I'll start with students whose parents are, or once were, Death Eaters. Then we'll move onto people who are associated in any way with the Malfoy family. I'll get to the bottom of that attack if it's the last thing I do….."

* * *

"Jeez, I really don't wanna go in there alone," Harry was shaking with terror as he fingered the doorknob, cautious to go in, but scared of what would happen if he ditched. Umbridge would surely be unforgiving and full of hate. Gulping, he twisted the doorknob and pulled it open. Time for torture.

* * *

Next Chapter:

Hermione is researching reasons for the attack on her friends and herself. What will she find? Meanwhile, Harry has detention with Umbridge, Ron and Fred aren't speaking to each other, and Neville has something to show to Hannah.


	4. ApologyUpdate

Hey guys, I'm SOOOOO sorry for not updating this in….a very long time….I actually had a couple new chapters written and I was gonna post one today, but they're gone….I got a new computer recently and I guess in transferring stuff from the old one to this one, all of the stories I wrote the past year or two got deleted….so, I'm gonna have to read through the old chapters (on here of course, the original files also got deleted…) and find out where I was at, but hopefully, sooner or later, I will update this. No promises, because I tend to fail when I say I'm definitely going to post something soon, but I'll see what I can do.


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